Deadline deals: Dream fits for each Stanley Cup contender
Every Stanley Cup contender would love to acquire a superstar talent ahead of Monday's trade deadline. But, let's face it, that's not happening.
Below, we run down dream fits between available players and contending teams that straddle the line between the best-case scenario and what's realistic.
For this particular exercise, any NHL team in the top 10 in points percentage is considered a "Stanley Cup contender." OK, here we go ...
Colorado Avalanche
Did the Avalanche already find their dream fit? On Monday, the NHL's top team acquired Josh Manson from the Anaheim Ducks, adding a dash of physicality to a blue line that's stacked with elite skaters and playmakers.
Injuries are starting to pile up for Colorado, complicating general manager Joe Sakic's life ahead of the deadline. If captain Gabriel Landeskog is ultimately deemed out for the rest of the regular season, Sakic will have enough salary-cap space to pursue a big-ticket forward like Claude Giroux or Brock Boeser.
At the moment, given the uncertainty with Landeskog, Sakic's measured approach to player acquisition, the Avs' wide-open contention window, and the Manson trade, we think it's more likely the GM goes after two mid-tier forwards, starting with the Chicago Blackhawks' Energizer Bunny, Brandon Hagel.
A high-compete winger with scoring touch, Hagel would add a little spice to a tremendously fast and skilled forward group. Equally important, his contract ($1.5-million cap hit this year and next) is good value. The extra season would make the steep acquisition price worth it for the Avs.
As for a second target, the Avs could try to pry Nick Paul from the Ottawa Senators.
Carolina Hurricanes
Through 59 games, the Hurricanes are second in the league with a .737 points percentage. They're a well-coached squad with no glaring weaknesses.
That said, if GM Don Waddell were to nitpick, he'd surely identify the defense corps as an area that could be upgraded in one respect: offensive pop. Tony DeAngelo is the club's lone offensively minded defenseman and he's currently injured, with a return timeline set for late March/early April.
That leads us to John Klingberg. The 29-year-old smooth-skating Dallas Star could be a wonderful complement to DeAngelo and Brett Pesce on Carolina's right side. Adding Klingberg would probably send Ethan Bear to the press box, which, while unfortunate for Bear, would be a sign of enviable depth.
The Canes don't typically chase pending UFAs at the deadline, and the team doesn't have the cap space right now to absorb Klingberg's $4.25 million AAV. However, the timing is right for the organization to step out of its comfort zone. Waddell has enough picks and prospects for an enticing deal, and there are bottom-feeding clubs that could take on some of Klingberg's salary.
Florida Panthers
Do the Atlantic-leading Panthers need to add anything? Not necessarily. Should they? Absolutely.
Florida has been firing on all cylinders all season long, but we're of the opinion that they should go big-game hunting and land Giroux. The 34-year-old All-Star is the biggest name available and could easily be the most impactful. Giroux has 42 points in 56 games for a lowly Philly squad this season, and it's fair to assume he'd be raring to go for a contending team playing high-stakes hockey down the stretch.
It would be very entertaining for the Panthers to build a Globetrotter-type offense, and they have the assets to make a trade work for both sides. Florida doesn't have much draft capital this year, but it has all of its picks in 2023, along with quality roster players (Patric Hornqvist, Frank Vatrano, Lucas Carlsson) and high-profile prospects (Grigori Denisenko, Owen Tippett) to build a desirable package for the career-long Flyer.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs' deadline philosophy, at least in the eyes of fans and pundits, has drastically shifted of late. At first, Toronto appeared poised to pursue an impact forward, but it's become clear that the club needs to concede fewer goals to have any realistic chance in the Atlantic Division playoff gauntlet.
Adding a goaltender is one potential solution. However, finding a suitable and available netminder within a time crunch is easier said than done. Another idea is acquiring a blue-liner (or two) who would make Toronto's slot more difficult for opponents to breach.
We're of the mind that Kyle Dubas should call up old colleague Lou Lamoriello and pry Scott Mayfield from the New York Islanders. The Leafs need a player who can help clear the dangerous areas of the D zone and insulate whichever Toronto goalie gets his confidence back first. Mayfield is a stay-at-home, stabilizing presence on the back end and a clear upgrade over Timothy Liljegren, Justin Holl, and Travis Dermott.
Mayfield also makes only $1.45 million through 2023. That may make it difficult to convince the Islanders to move him, but what a difference it could make for a slumping Toronto squad.
New York Rangers
The Rangers have more room on their books than any contender and should try to catch lightning in a bottle while Igor Shesterkin is playing out of his mind. New York could benefit from shoring up its third defensive pairing, but its clearest need is a top-six winger, specifically to play the right side on a line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome.
Rickard Rakell's a terrific candidate. He'd be a rental, yet he carries a modest $3.79-million cap hit. He drives play offensively and has the skill set to complement Panarin's elite hockey IQ and playmaking. It's hard to view New York's attack as a problem, but Rakell would be replacing Dryden Hunt on the second line. That's a clear improvement. The Ducks winger could also add some firepower to a second power-play unit that lacks experience.
Calgary Flames
The heart says bring back former captain Mark Giordano for a Cup run, but the Flames made the 38-year-old expendable this past offseason for a reason: They're set on the back end. The Flames might be set everywhere, for that matter, and having already acquired Tyler Toffoli, they'll probably be quiet at the deadline.
For the sake of this exercise, though, we see a match between Calgary and Calle Jarnkrok. The versatile, tight-checking forward is the type of player whose strengths seem to be maximized by Darryl Sutter's schemes and systems, and he would fortify one of the club's bottom-six center spots. Making him even more attractive to the cap-strapped Flames, Jarnkrok accounts for only $2 million against the cap before hitting unrestricted free agency this summer.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Boy, the Penguins certainly could use a sharp-shooting winger.
The top forward line of Sidney Crosby between Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust is rolling, but the Evgeni Malkin-centered second line is decidedly not.
If he's available, Dominik Kubalik of the Blackhawks makes a ton of sense. The 26-year-old Czechia native may be having a down year, but he's armed with a wicked shot and has plenty of experience sharing the ice with stars like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. A pending RFA with arbitration rights, Kubalik scored 30 goals in 68 games in 2019-20 as an NHL rookie.
Picking up Kubalik wouldn't be groundbreaking. But that's OK. The Pens could make two or three medium-sized deals instead of one whopper in order to deepen their lineup while preserving their upcoming first-rounders. Don't forget, the Pens are in limbo: Malkin, Rust, and longtime No. 1 defenseman Kris Letang are all set to become UFAs at season's end.
Boston Bruins
Brandon Carlo, Matt Grzelcyk, and Mike Reilly are all fine players, but there's simply too much on Charlie McAvoy's plate as the Bruins' No. 1 D-man. The club needs to upgrade its blue line heading into the playoffs.
Boston's top target should be Jakob Chychrun of the Arizona Coyotes. Yes, Chychrun suffered a lower-body injury over the weekend - ironically against the Bruins. And yes, it will sideline him for 2-4 weeks, which is not ideal. Yet the fit is still there.
A three-zone defenseman who can play both sides, Chychrun moves the needle like McAvoy. He's 23 and under contract through the 2024-25 season at a team-friendly $4.6 million AAV. He would boost Boston's chances of winning this year and then help keep the contention window open.
There also seems to be a fit from a transactional perspective. Forward Jake DeBrusk has requested a trade out of Boston, and the Coyotes - deep in a rebuild and about to start playing in a 5,000-seat arena - are on a desperate search for NHL-caliber players under team control. DeBrusk is a 25-year-old pending RFA who could flourish with a change of scenery.
Of course, the package going to Arizona would include several impact pieces, namely a first-round pick. The Bruins have their firsts in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois has been aggressive at each of the past two trade deadlines, shipping out first-round picks to nab the role players he wants. Back-to-back Stanley Cup rings indicate his strategy works.
Tampa Bay doesn't have many flaws, but BriseBois seems to prioritize targeting flexible players that can be deployed in all situations. Andrew Copp of the Winnipeg Jets would fit the bill as the Bolts look to become the first franchise to three-peat since the Islanders in the early 1980s. He's on an expiring contract ($3.64 million AAV), and his current club is swiftly falling out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
Copp is in the midst of a career offensive season, so Tampa would have to pony up to get him. Regardless, the 27-year-old can play center or wing and has a history of strong advanced metrics at both ends of the ice. He's also a physical presence and could anchor a battle-tested, pain-in-the-ass third line in between veterans Patrick Maroon and Corey Perry.
St. Louis Blues
Marco Scandella played 19:53 against the Jets on Sunday night, lining up mostly alongside Colton Parayko on the Blues' top defense pairing. Important context: St. Louis doesn't have any star blue-liners injured.
Scandella is a perfectly capable NHLer, but he shouldn't be facing stiff competition for a third of the game. And that's precisely why Ben Chiarot would be a fantastic fit for the Blues. The battle-tested Montreal Canadien could be slotted on Parayko's left side while Torey Krug and Justin Faulk do their thing as an overqualified second pair and Scandella moves down the depth chart.
The Blues rank in the top 10 in several key categories, including goals for per game, goals against per game, power-play percentage, and penalty-kill percentage. They're a quality squad with a diverse group of forwards and two goaltenders in Ville Husso and Jordan Binnington who can hold down the fort.
What's missing is defensive depth, and acquiring pending UFA Chiarot - for a package starting with a first-rounder or A-level prospect - would fix that issue.